CLEVELAND, Ohio — Give it a chance and baseball will surprise you. It might not be a toe-curling, middle-of-the-night surprise, but it will get your attention.

The Guardians, as has been noted by friend and foe alike, don’t hit much. They went into Wednesday’s game against the Tigers with the lowest batting average in the big leagues at .224, while scoring the third fewest runs among MLB’s 30 teams with 587.

In the 10th inning Tuesday night, however, the Guardians did something for just the second time in franchise history. In scoring four runs in the 10th to beat the Tigers, 7-5, they had four straight extra base hits.

Steven Kwan hit a run-scoring double, Angel Martinez followed with a triple, Jose Ramirez chippped in with a double and Kyle Manzardo added a double of his own.

The only other time Cleveland has had at least four extra base hits in an extra inning was May 10, 1961. The last time any team had four extra base hits in an exta inning was Aug. 7, 2001 by the Giants against the Reds.

How did it happen?

Kwan said it had to do with fundamentals. When he came to the plate in the 10th with the score tied and Brayan Rocchio on second base as the automatic runner, he wasn’t thinking about hitting a double.

“My job right there is to get the runner over,” said Kwan. “I was just trying to get something (a pitch) close to me. Thankfully, it got by (first base).

“I like to think everybody else after that was thinking the samething. Get something close to you that you can drive and get the guy over.”

The standings and time of year may have had something to do with the Guardians’ ouburst. The Tigers lead the Guards by 5 1/2 games in the AL Central. The two teams will play five more times, including Wednesday night’s game, before the season ends on Sept. 28.

Still, what the Guardians did in the 10th inning Tuesday definitely qualified as a surprise.

Happy birthday to you

Ramírez celebrated his 33rd birthday Wednesday. Ramírez is a career .324 (12 for 37) hitting on his birthday with two doubles, four homers and nine RBI.

He celebrated his 28th birthday in 2020 against the Tigers at Comerica Park by going 4 for 5 with two homers and four RBI.

Ramirez still needs two homers to reach 30-30 (30 steals, 30 homers) for the third time in his career.

Reset the rotation

With Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee getting switched to start against the Tigers on Wednesday and Thursday, manager Stephen Vogt said Parker Messick will start Friday against the Twins followed by Slade Cecconi and Logan Allen for Saturday’s day-night doubleheader. Lefty Joey Cantillo is scheduled for Sunday.

The Guardians have still not decided who will pitch the first game on Saturday — Allen or Cecconi.

The Twins and Guardians will not be allowed to add an extra man for Saturday’s doubleheader because the rosters have been increased to 28 players.

Pitcher of the year

Lake County Captains’ left-hander Josh Hartle was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday. Hartle, catcher Jacob Cozart and Alfonso Rosario were named Midwest League All-Stars by Minor League Baseball (MiLB).

The Guardians acquired Hartle from Pittsburgh in December as part of the Luis Ortiz trade. He spent most of the season with the Captains, the Guardians’ high-A team, going 10-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 22 starts. He went 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts with Double-A Akron.

Hartle struck out 107 in 113 1/3 innings for the season.

“He had a good year,” said GM Mike Chernoff. “He stayed healthy and his velocity picked up.”

Cozart hit .235 (80 for 346) with nine homers and 49 RBI at Lake County and Akron. He was Cleveland’s second round pick in 2024.

Rosario, acquired from the Cubs for right-hander Eli Morgan in November, hit .251 (109 for 434) with 21 homers and 64 RBI at Lake County and Akron.

FinallyThe Guardians went 8 for 15 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday’s 7-5 win. It’s the most hits they’ve had with RISP since July 9, 2022 when they had nine against Kansas City.Kwan entered Wednesday’s game hitting .375 (12 for 32) against the Tigers this season.When the Guardians return from this seven-game trip, they should know if outfielder Lane Thomas will need surgery on his right foot. Thomas has been hobbled for much of the season by a base of plantar fasciitis.

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